Meet the 2014 Sundance Filmmakers #2 : Mona Fastvold Peers Into the Fractured Dreams of Two Sisters in 'The Sleepwalker'

Mona Fastvold grew up in Oslo, Norway but has been based in New York City for the last 10 years. She was an actress at a young age, but her attention shifted to writing and directing. "I've been doing that ever since," she told Indiewire, "and this is my first feature film." Segments of 'The Sleepwalker' are loosely based on Fastvold's personal experience.

Mona Fastvold grew up in Oslo, Norway but has been based in New York City for the last 10 years. She was an actress at a young age, but her attention shifted to writing and directing. "I've been doing that ever since," she told Indiewire, "and this is my first feature film." Segments of "The Sleepwalker" are loosely based on Fastvold's personal experience.

What it's about: "A young couple, Kaia and Andrew, are renovating Kaia's secluded family
estate. Their lives are violently disrupted upon the unexpected arrival
of Kaia’s sister, Christine, and her fiance, Ira."

What it's really about: "I was a sleepwalker myself for many years which I found somewhat
embarrassing and mysterious. I've noticed in some cases that this
syndrome can recur when a traumatic experience has in one way or another
split the subject's psyche - the restrained, functional self versus
the reckless, childlike personality that's apparent in the gesture. All
that said, the sleepwalking in our film primarily functions as a simple
and evocative metaphor and probably nothing more.

"Also, for many years I've been compelled to tell a story about
the complex dynamic between sisters; the strange way siblings so easily
regress into childhood patterns and the intense love and jealousy
between them. The film is a tone poem which meditates on these
aforementioned themes... Really, it's probably about much more than
these themes - but that's for viewers to say."

Biggest challenges: "There are so many personalities involved in making a film that natural social navigation and understanding is the most difficult thing to
adapt to, in every part of the process. It's a big dysfunctional family
compiled of many individuals who don't know each other or have never
worked together. This is the challenge; the reward is when 50
individuals overcome it.

Cameras used: "Alexa."

Did any films inspire you? "I'm Scandinavian so Bergman is King. Lynch is important for this film too."

Did you crowdfund? "No. It was a very affordable film so we managed to fund it in a very traditional way."

Hopes for audience take-away: "I really just hope that people are moved by the film or intoxicated by
it in some way. There is no message. It's not didactic. It's just a
dream I had."

What's next? "I'm currently in Paris working with my partner, Brady Corbet, on our
next film. It's a very ambitious project and we're excited about it."

Indiewire invited Sundance Film Festival directors to tell us
about their films, including what inspired them, the challenges they
faced and what they're doing next. We'll be publishing their responses
leading up to the 2014 festival. For profiles go HERE.